features, art selection process, and impacts. Case examples for seven airports are provided in Chapter 4 to give more contextual insight into programs. Chapter 5 provides conclusions and considerations, including challenges and suggestions for future research.

1.2 Methodology for Synthesis

This synthesis utilized a sequential, explanatory, mixed-methods design. This design combines both quantitative and qualitative approaches in a sequential manner to gain a deeper understanding of a phenomenon or methodological question. The first phase involves a quantitative approach, which gathers data that can be analyzed statistically to identify patterns and relationships. The second phase involves a qualitative approach, which explores and explains the findings obtained from the quantitative analysis and helps develop a deeper understanding of the underlying reasons, motivations, and context suggested by the quantitative results. The sequential explanatory mixed-methods design is particularly useful when a topic requires both breadth and depth of understanding, because it allows investigators to capitalize on the strengths of both quantitative and qualitative approaches while mitigating their respective limitations. Furthermore, the sequential nature of the design allows for an iterative process of inquiry, in which the findings from one phase inform the design and execution of the subsequent phase, thereby leading to a more robust and nuanced understanding of the synthesis topic.

1.2.1 Quantitative Phase

For this synthesis, the quantitative phase was composed of an online survey with two distinct iterations: a preliminary survey tested at a national conference and a comprehensive survey distributed to 383 airports throughout the United States and its territories.

The ACRP Airport Arts Preliminary Survey was offered online during the American Association of Airport Executives Arts in the Airport Workshop held October 4–6, 2023, in Chicago, IL. This survey was distributed through a SurveyMonkey link and a QR code provided to conference attendees. The survey was open for the month of October 2023; a total of 14 conference attendees completed the preliminary survey. The survey consisted of five questions. The first question asked

respondents to identify the respondent’s airport by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) code, which is a three-letter code used to identify an airport (e.g., “LAX” is the IATA code for Los Angeles International Airport). The second question asked respondents to note the status of their airport arts program, which included a range from “not started an arts program yet” or “program is in the planning phase” to “program has been active for more than five years.” In the open-ended, third question, respondents were asked to share their thoughts about the management of their airport arts program. Fourth, respondents were asked whether they were willing to participate in an online survey and a focus group session regarding the management of their airport arts program. If they answered the fourth question affirmatively, then they were asked a fifth question that captured their name and contact information.

In October 2023, while the ACRP Airport Arts Preliminary Survey was public, the public file Calendar Year 2022 (CY22) Enplanements at All Commercial Services Airports was downloaded from the FAA website (FAA, 2023b). Using this list of 383 commercial airports, an online search was conducted to acquire contact information for each of the identified airports. Contact information gathered included airport websites, email addresses, phone numbers, and contact names. For many airports, the only contact information available was a general inquiry email or phone number, which was used in lieu of a specific contact person. All 383 airports were contacted either by email or phone; however, some did not respond, which yielded a total of 189 (49.3%) verified responses and contacts.

In November 2023, the ACRP Airport Arts Management Survey was distributed electronically to all airports with a verified contact (n = 189). This survey was distributed by email using a SurveyMonkey link and a QR code. The email introduced the survey topic, identified the synthesis team, provided an estimated time for survey completion, and indicated that there would be an opportunity to volunteer for a focus group in January 2024. The email also offered a primary contact person to address questions about the survey’s purpose or technical issues when using the survey. A total of 189 airports received the survey email; 46 (24.3%) airports indicated that they did not have an airport arts program and declined; the remaining 143 airports (75.7%) accepted the survey email. For a full list of survey respondents, see Appendix C.

The survey was available from November 1, 2023, to January 5, 2024, and consisted of 17 questions. The full survey is provided in Appendix A. Participants were asked to identify their airport IATA code, position title, and level of engagement with the airport arts program. The survey also asked respondents to provide the following information about their airport arts program:

• Age of their airport arts program
• Number of employees/volunteers
• Annual budget
• Funding sources
• Estimated value
• Types of exhibitions
• Governing structure
• Departments engaged
• Documentation
• Existing metrics for the program’s impact

At the end of the survey, respondents were asked whether they would be willing to participate in a focus group session, and if so, to provide their contact information. Out of the 143 who received the survey, 61 (42.7%) completed the survey, representing 55 airports, and 37 (25.9%) agreed to participate in a focus group (See Figure 1).

Survey data analysis began in mid-January 2024. The raw survey data was cleaned and coded to ensure the accuracy and consistency of responses. After the survey data was prepared, a set

of descriptive statistics was employed to summarize its key characteristics, including ranges and frequencies. Descriptive statistics helped to identify patterns, trends, and outliers within the data set and to ascertain key insights.

1.2.2 Qualitative Phase

The qualitative phase was composed of a set of focus groups held on Zoom, an online web conference platform. For this phase, the ACRP Airport Arts Interview Protocol was developed and consisted of 12 open-ended questions to provide a deeper understanding of airport arts program management. The questions spanned five key themes: (1) origin and history of the airport arts program, (2) current art portfolio mix including diversity of work and selection processes, (3) current governing structure and how that influences management, (4) budget and funding structure of the program, and (5) topic of policies, procedures, impact assessments, and written documentation. Finally, participants were asked to reflect on the biggest challenges for airport arts program managers and administrators.

On January 5, 2024, the 37 airports that agreed to participate in a focus group session were contacted using an online scheduling poll. A total of 14 (37.8%) airports participated in a focus group (see Table 3).

Five focus groups were held in late January 2024, and one focus group was held in early February 2024, for a total of six focus groups. All focus groups were booked for 60 minutes. Participants were sent an initial calendar invitation at the time of booking a date, along with a reminder 24 hours before the focus group session. Participants were asked for consent to record,

Table 3. Focus group attendees.

^*IATA: International Air Transport Association.

which they all granted. All sessions were recorded to ensure an accurate representation of the information provided. At the conclusion of the focus group session, participants were asked whether they would agree to be contacted again to provide greater clarification, to which all agreed. At the conclusion of the focus group, all participants were thanked for their time and participation.

Qualitative data analysis began in mid-February 2024. For this part of the synthesis, an emergent thematic analysis method was employed, which involves a flexible and inductive approach to uncovering patterns and themes that emerge directly from the discussions. Unlike pre-established coding frameworks (e.g., content analysis), emergent thematic analysis allows themes to arise organically from the data without imposing preconceived notions or categories. After the qualitative data is collected, a process of open coding takes place in which segments of the data are labeled with descriptive codes that capture key concepts, ideas, and recurring topics. As the analysis progresses, codes are grouped together based on similarities or relationships to form broader themes. Through constant comparison and refinement, a coherent and comprehensive representation of the data emerges. This iterative process ensures that the analysis remains grounded in the perspectives and experiences of the focus group participants, while also allowing for flexibility and responsiveness to the richness and complexity of the data. The emergent themes are then combined with the descriptive survey data to build a broad and wide-ranging view of some of the key elements of airport arts program management.

Field of Air, by Ned Kahn, is located on the Denver International Airport (see Photo 2). According to the artist, the artwork consists of 18,500 counter-weighted aluminum elements that sway like tall grasses in the wind.

1.3 Key Typologies for Analysis

Two typologies were examined to help determine representativeness of the survey and focus group data. These variables were chosen based on preset characteristics of U.S. airports and allowed for a review of the diversity and breadth of perspectives within the synthesis.

The first typology is “hub status,” which was provided in the CY22 Enplanements at All Commercial Services Airports dataset (FAA, 2023b). Hub status was used to examine the mix of hubs and allow for an analysis to account for any distortion in the representation.

The second typology is “geographic location,” which was determined by placing all survey responses on an online map. The online map is set in two distinct layers. Figure 2 illustrates the first layer: all sites that either completed the survey or reported they did not have a program and declined the survey. Figure 3 illustrates the second layer that removes the sites that reported they did not have a program, thereby leaving a visual geographic representation for the 61 surveys collected.

By considering and addressing these factors, the data and analysis can be assessed with a lens of representativeness. Examining representativeness is paramount. First, it ensures that the findings and conclusions drawn from the data accurately reflect the characteristics, perspectives, and behaviors of the broader population from which the sample was drawn. Second, striving for representativeness enhances the external validity of findings and generalizes the results to the larger population with greater confidence. Such a task is difficult, given that not every airport has an arts program; therefore, a complete number of airport arts programs across the United States was not determined in this analysis. However, available typographies for examining both airport type and location are useful indicators for airport arts program analysis and provide fairness and inclusivity by acknowledging and valuing the diverse range of experiences and viewpoints of participating airports. For the purposes of this synthesis, the hubs typology was used to review whether there was a fair range of represented hubs, and the geography typology was used to assess the spread of airport sites across the United States.